It is cold. Even for a Canadian.
 

I've seen the 'It sooo cold' thread on the California forum. I found it amusing. I understand that everything is relative, but I think we've hit cold by anyone's definition.

http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/forecast/city_e.html?yxd

With windchill, it is currently -41*C. That translates as damn cold even for the fahrenheiters out there. It isn't the coldest I've ever personally been exposed to (I briefly worked at Fort Chip), but it is cold enough to write about online. As a stalwart canuck, this isn't whining, just commenting.

What is cold to you? I've discovered a couple examples in the last 36 hours or so.
- the sheet of ice on the inside of my double-paned windows is to be expected. But this is about 2 cm thick and covers 2/3rds of the window.
- my lunch today is a sticky mess. Taking a cold pepsi out of the fridge and putting it in my backpack has never been an issue before. But during the 15 minute trek to school, it decided to freeze enough to burst the poor aluminum can.
-last night (this morning?) at 4 AM, I recieved a phone call from a friend and neighbor. She had just completed her 22 hour shift at a local hospital. Her car, even plugged in, wouldn't start. No taxi company was running. So she needed a ride. As I pulled my warm car out of the warm underground parking lot into the wind tunnel of a back alley, the small crack in my windshield decided to spontaneously spiderweb. I didn't know that would happen, but a rapid temperature change is a surprisng thing.
-my best friend's cable/internet is out. it turns out that the copper central core of the coax cable which runs outside has contracted enough to break the connection.
-not too unusual, but I always get a kick out of my jacket becoming stiff and crackely. No extra mositure to make it stiff, just cold.
-and as a last note, in the old building that houses this computer lab here at the university, the heating system literally can't keep up. The thermostat is set to 30. The room temperature is 14*C. It feels warm enough, relativly speaking, but it isn't warm.

Any other "yeah, it is cold" indicators out there?

My friend in Lethbridge has been saying it's mighty cold out there. The car being plugged in thing is so foreign to me! I think it's just a Canadian thing ;)

Here's hoping it warms up for you soon.

lol bossnass. it's been the excat opposite here. im n mississauga and it rained here yesterday! its supposed to be 10 C today! it's nice to break the cold but for some reason it just feels wrong. January is supposed to be cold.

Yup, 12 degrees! I was tempted to dig out my sandals and go down to the Beaches...

ditto Janey. It's ridiculous! This is Canada! There's a reason I own 9 million more sweaters than t-shirts, so what am I doing in a t-shirt right now???

I'm loving the warm break because I know it's going to be bloody freezing again all too soon...

not too unusual, but I always get a kick out of my jacket becoming stiff and crackely. No extra mositure to make it stiff, just cold.

I get a kick out of this too.

The funny thing to me is how it's so relative. Before the cold snap of the year, people bitch and complain about how it's cold at -15 or -20 Celcius. But after the cold snap (or multiple ones) when it reaches -10* again people are totally happy to go around with minimal jackets on, and I see people out with t-shirts on if they don't have to walk far outside.

Something else i found interesting is that going out of my school, you pass by a pool hall, which has high humidity. This opens up into a uninsulated walkway, and ever since it's been colder than -30* There has been a huge fog cloud billowing out of the doors down the walkway. It's coated the windows with sheets of ice and it's eerie walking through the area only able to see some 4 feet in front of you. The effect is ruined during high traffic times though because all the humid air gets all sucked out by the door being open all the time.

I don't usually whine about the cold, but I don't like a cold snap for 1 reason- no snow. Because there's no warm/cool pressure fronts moving around, there's no precipitation which sucks. I wouldn't mind if it was really cold if I got a foot of powder along with it. But as it is it just makes life difficult.

...as predicted it is going to be -12 today... 24 degrees colder than it was yesterday...

Its -39ºC right now. Luckily there is no wind. There is no window thats not frosted over so much I can't look outside. Its so cold the snow squeaks when you walk on it. All the exhaust from vehicles & people chimneys is pushed down because of the cold and there's a heavy fog everywhere. Its creepy.

i heard in the news that the local weather record was broken, and that it had gone up to 19 degrees yesterday.

Too bad i was in the office all day, and only got to experience the 14 degree drive home...

Man it is fuckin' freeezing here in Calgary. So what am I doing about it...going to Edmonton this weekend, where it's even colder.

I need a drink.

I had a taste of it when I went out for a coffee. Other than that I could only tell it was warmer than usual because the huge window in my office was warmer than usual.

Yup, it's a Canadian thing, and if you ever find yourself up here (you will find yourself up here right?!?!), then you'll see for yourself.

As far as cold is concerned, we get this kind of thing for a few days every year in Calgary (quite close to Lethbridge, relatively speaking), but usually not for this long, or this cold.

We all pray to the Chinook gods right about now. If you don't know what a Chinook is, it's a warm westerly wind associated with a specific weather pattern that can change the termperature from -20 Celsius (another Canadiain thing to get used to :) :) ) to +10 or more in half a day! They are WONDERFUL!

Peace,

Pierre

Ditto. I think it's hilarious except that my humour kind of freezes along with the snot icicle on my nose!

Yup, to Canadians, warm or "nice" weather is not an absolute, but rather, relative to the days immediately preceeding. I think that's we we are so flexible and open-minded! :) :)

Peace,

Pierre

Relative

Like when it is 5 degrees in October and wet and rainy you can feel the cold go to your bones.

But 5 degrees at the end of February and you are itching to drive with the windows open.

We had a mini snow storm here last week, and temperatures plummeted to, wait for it....

Minus 15 celcius.

My wife and I were driving to work and they were talking about (on the radio) the threat this temperature poses to people, the hazard of walking to work in EXTREME cold. The 6 inches of snow, and don't quote me on this because I couldn't hear it over our laughing, apparently closed the colleges in town.

We moved down from Yellowknife 2 months ago. It was colder than this on Hallowe'en night :/ I guess it's all relative.

I love it that as soon as I step out of my apartment I slip on a patch of ice, get up, and notice the entire ground is ICE. EVERYTHING IS ICE!!!! I saw people falling, slipping, crawling, it was amusing but a pain in the ass to get around.

Cold to me is the couple of days every year in January where it gets below -40 (windchill included). Days where on a 5-10 minute walk to class, I actually deigned to wear a scarf in order to avoid my nose and ears getting frostbite. I avoid scarves like the plague. Still won't wear a hat though. :D When the door handle is so cold that your hand is verging on freezing instantaneously to it, and your brain actually hurts from the drop in temperature. That's cold to me.

Interestingly, in Moscow (Russia's equivalent to Calgary, which is where I live) they are currently in the middle of a heat wave, and have grass growing on peoples' lawns.

By the way marq, from the 5 day forecast it looks to be warmer in Edmonton than Calgary.

I'm in Sault Ste. Marie now. We have stupid snow squalls every other day. It was insanely cold today and my russian friend told me it was 10*C in Moscow!!!!

Bah humbug. Windchill doesn't count!

In Southern Ontario, we are having some wonderful weather systems. There is a war going on between a tropical air mass and an arctic air mass.

On Wednesday, the high was 15 Celcius (60 F for you 'merkins). Wednesday night, the low was 10 C (40 F). By Friday, the weather dropped all the way to -13 C (9 F).

It all happened over a few hours on Thursday too.

I got to watch it all pretty like over here:
http://sciborg.uwaterloo.ca/wcas/forecast/domain3.html

Looks like a nice mild -8 (18 F) over the weekend, and a large -14 (7 F) system trying to move in on Monday.

The 3000 m "Tempurature and Wind" movie is particularly pretty.

(Sort of a different kind of "oh ya, it's cold" 'indicator')

Here in midland ontario its been pretty warm lately, 2 or 3 Celcius(yes, that actually is pretty warm) but a few weeks ago it went down to like -25(not counting windchill), i had to walk almost a mile one day around then, it sure as hell wasnt pleasant

I'm good to about -10F. It does depend on the wind, too. Yesterday, we were dealing with windchills of -40F. Now THAT'S cold. Coldest I've ever dealt with was about -35F, windchill in the -70F range.

What the heck is all this "Farenheit" stuff? I have no idea how cold that is. Use celcius so i can relate :P

Farenheit is pretty easy to understand.

-40 F = -40 C

Any other tempurature, well, it is an American talking about their weather, so it's something warm. Just smile, nod, and pretend you are impressed by their ability to handle the cold. Once they stop talking, mush home to your igloo, and laugh it over with your pet moose.

I thought it was cold here in Calgary last week. Man I was wrong, it was balmy when compared with Saskatoon. I had to go there for a business trip on Thursday and stayed overnight. Woke up on Friday morning to -40*C with a wind chill of -54*C! Shit, I'd forgotten what a difference there is in 10* Easily the coldest I've been in a loooong time.

After I flew home and worked the rest of the day in Calgary I packed up the skis and headed to Fernie. Woke up on Sat. to -32*C and got on the chair lift. Damn cold to be skiing but they had 50cms of fresh snow over the week and there were some fresh tracks waiting for me in the trees. Super clear day too which made for some fantastic mountain views. It warmed up to -20 or so and I had one of the best days of the year so far bombing down the knot chutes in some sweet powder. Very good day indeed. :D

hahaha thanks for the tip

Uuugh, just reached -40 with windchills.. this thing HURTS! Just a walk from the house to the car with uncovered ears and hands is painful.. the cold is biting, and then it also hurts when it thwas off in the car... crazy stuff.

It was about -43C with the windchill this morning walking to school, and me being a moron I forgot my toque. I shall not make the same mistake tomorrow, my left ear is still a little sore and kind of numb. I'm an idiot.

Yup I can vouche for that. But the Mustang, with no block heater,...First crank it was off and rolling. Going on the canal tomorrow. Only supposed to be -8 or something.

It's kind of funny how BC is the california of Canada...we were complaining about how cold it was last week because the temperature dipped below zero.

Also contributes to all the homeless people migrating out here : (

Plus 8 in Calgary today. Nice change from the weeks of brutal cold.

wonder why there are so many moving to toronto? btw, we are finally getting some decent powdery snow. But of course it turned a 20 minute drive into an hour commute this morning..

Remember: once your ear is frostbitten, it doesn't hurt anymore.

Until it warms up that is.

ughhh it's snowing again!! The weather in Sault Ste. Marie is ridiculous. It snows for a couple days and then warms up and rains. The day after it all freezes!!! Lake Superior sucks.

We had snow allllll day yesterday. I'm surprised the bus driver knew I was a person instead of just another snow pile at the bus stop....

The warm up pain was terrible, just terrible. My instructor was looking at me like I was a little slow, when I was sitting there with my hands over my ears in class, until he noticed my ear was rather red, then he found it amusing as did I. Now I remember my toque, it just plain old sucks without it.


Oh ya another chilly day in Ottawa this morning, I believe it was -31 with the windchill. After snowing yesterday and into last night I believe.

How is the skating on the canal? When I lived in Ottawa I used to use the canal to get to school...

The coldest part of walking to school was the field near Carleton where you walk from the bridge over the canal on Bronson... the wind off Dow's Lake was always nasty... It was worse when I was riding my bike through it...

Speaking of Ottawa:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=7372162

I just got up to my cottage and it is so cold our pipes froze!:( No plumbling for the winter, oh well guess it's back to nature for me

Living in Vancouver has its advantages :) Coldest it got here was about -10C. And that was only for a day or two. Drawback is no one can figure out how to drive in snow. oh well.

Interior of BC did get down to -45C (without factoring windchill) though. far too cold.